DOUGLAS FETT: ORIGINS
by Douglas Fett
Summary: This is the flashback RP of my main character I RP online, Douglas Fett. After first playing KOTOR back in 2003, I got into online RPing shortly after, and played primarily Mandalorians. This is my main character's story.
1. Mando'ade

In the years between Mandalore the Ultimate's succession (3,996) and the Mandalorian's war with the Republic (3,963), small farming homesteads on the planet Mandalore thrived under individual Mandalorian families. On one of these farms, two children, both shy of a year old, were abandoned as orphans.

A nearby Mandalorian family, as per Mandalorian custom, adopted the children as their own.

This is that story.

_Dramatis Personae_

Douglas Fett - Male Human Mandalorian  
>Darius Fett - Male Human Mandalorian<p>

Arminius Argyle - Male Human Mandalorian  
>Athena Argyle - Female Human Mandalorian<br>Sucellos Argyle - Male Human Mandalorian

Arvernus Sirona - Male Human Mandalorian  
>Tamesis Sirona - Female Human Mandalorian<br>Boudica Sirona - Female Human Mandalorian

_Cameos by..._

Mandalore the Ultimate - Male Taung Mandalorian  
>Canderous Ordo - Male Human Mandalorian<br>Titus Fett - Male Human Mandalorian

_Author's Note: Any and all uses of Mando'a are taken straight from Karen Traviss' Mando'a Glossary and Guide. Exceptions to this are references to "archaic" Mando'a, which are simply phrases and words I've borrowed from Scottish Gaelic. Also, all of the planets mentioned in this fic are canon to Star Wars, save for the last planet visited. One more thing. This is a RP flashback I posted on a SW RPing site I'm at. It is set in the TOTJ/KOTOR era, roughly 4,000 years before the films. In that regard, the only canon characters are Mandalore and Canderous, all others have been created by me. And of course, Star Wars isn't mine. Not one bit of it. Kudos to George Lucas._

**Outer Rim - Mandalore**

**3,981**

_Mando'ade_

- Mando'a for "sons and daughters of Mandalore"

The man known as Arminius Argyle had seen war. He had gone on the Crusade under _Te Kandosii Mand'alor_ alongside Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma against the Republic and the Jedi. He knew how to fight. He had gained honour in combat, he had seen victory, and he had known defeat. That was many years ago though, and Arminius was much older and wiser.

After the new Mandalore founded his base of operations on Onderon's moon Dxun, Arminius had returned to his home world to finish his duties as a Mandalorian, principally that of getting married and raising a family. He had met his wife, Athena, and raised a son of their own, Sucellos. He was an adult now, 15 years old, and aside from his warriour training, worked with agriculture and brewing. For Arminius and Athena, the act of raising and educating children, _ba'jurir_, in the ways of their people was what they enjoyed most. While Athena worked on the farm, Arminius would hunt for wild animals

It was raining out as Arminius was tracking prey through the forest. He hid in a bush, his camouflaged armour blending in with the surroundings. Athena always told him just to use a stealth generator, but Arminius preferred the old fashioned way of remaining clandestine.

With his helmet, he used its sensor system to cancel out the sound of the rain as it fell through the forest canopy into the underbrush. It picked up a light scattering noise, up a ways, and he targeted it through his helmet's HUD. Poking his head up from behind the bush, the targeting pinpointed the animal.

Arminius could make out its head, antlers protruding and bobbing as it slowly walked about, stopping every so often as it found something to eat. Arminius raised his rifle, placed the deer's head in its scope, and pulled the trigger.

The deer fell, and Arminius walked over to retrieve its body. As he picked it up, his sensors found more sounds, but human. It sounded like babies crying. What would children be doing out here? Arminius, dead deer over his shoulder, followed the trail.

He came upon a small house, with a thatched roof and stone walls. It was the Fett's homestead, abandoned. He didn't need his sensors anymore, as he found the child. He was laying on the muddy ground, naked, rain dripping across his face as he cried, his small arms and legs flailing about in a jerky manner like most babies did.

Arminius instantly dropped the deer, and picked up the baby from the ground. There was no choice in the decision. He could hunt again later. Walking into the small hovel, he found some rags and towels, and wrapped the child up, carrying him in his arms. As he stood there trying to comfort the child, he heard more cries from outside, this time from down the hill.

Having dried off the young boy, he set him on a table in the hovel, and quickly ran down the hill. There he saw the other source of the cries, another baby boy. The _Dha_ River flowed at the bottom of the hill, and on its pebble strewn banks lay the child. He picked him up, brought him back to the hovel as well, and dried him off.

Athena would be overjoyed to have two more sons. Orphans as they were, the Mandalorian way was such that as long as children (from originally within the culture and even war orphans brought into the culture) were taught in the ways of the Mandalore, then everything worked out alright. But a Mandalorian family abandoning their own children? It was unheard of.

Before setting out to hunt, Arminius had consulted a map of the area, and had decided the forest south of the Fett family lands would be suitable. He had never met them, but having found their sons, it was his and his wife's responsibility to take care of them.

"Honey?" Arminius asked as he walked inside his house, having returned.

"Oh Arminius, your-" Athena said, walking towards the entrance. She stopped and stared at the two children her husband had cradled in his arms, then at him.

"Who are…?" She shook her head, at a loss for words. She grabbed a blanket from the closet, and set them down in it.

"I was out hunting, and I found them abandoned at the Fett's home." Arminius said.

"I don't think we've met them before." Athena said. Arminius remained silent, but agreed by nodding his head after removing his helmet.

"I don't like it. Whoever these Fetts are, they're not true Manda-" Arminius said, before being calmed down with a reassuring hug from his wife.

"_Udesii, udesii_. They're ours now. We should be happy, dear." Athena reminded him. Arminius nodded in agreement, but she could sense his frustration over the ethical matters of it all. It would go away for a time, but eventually, their new sons would have to learn just exactly what happened.

"Let's name them." Arminius said, pushing his frustration aside.

"Ok. Let's name him Darius." Athena said, pointing to the boy on the right. She always wanted to name a son Darius, and after Arminius named their first boy, here was her chance.

"And he'll be named Doug." Arminius declared for the other boy. Doug, in archaic _Mando'a_, meant 'from the dark river.' Having found him on the banks of the _Dha_, or 'dark,' it made sense. In another sense, in archaic _Mando'a_, it also meant 'dark stranger,' but the latter's foreboding sound was not meant for this boy. Perhaps many years down the road he would become a shadowy individual of sorts, but it wasn't thought upon by the two parents.

Over the next several years, the Argyles would raise their two new ade, Darius and Doug, in the ways of the Mandalorians. Darius and Doug kept their last names as per the arrangements of the _gai bal manda_, so as to retain their _aliit_. Now recognized as their adoptive parents, Arminius and Athena did as they had done with Sucellos years previous, and began raising the two boys in the ways of the Mandalorians.


	2. Resol'nare

**3,977**

_Resol'nare_

- The Six Actions of Mandalorian life

They had grown up so quickly, that the Argyles couldn't help but have 'that old feeling' again, of raising children. It warmed the house up, and it brought Arminius and Athena closer together in their _riduurok_. But they knew it wouldn't last. Before they realized it, they had gone from little babies who were calling them mommy and daddy in _Mando'a_ to wild and crazy kids, running around the house causing a ruckus. If nothing else though, Darius and Doug loved their parents, and their parents loved them. However, now that they were getting older, it was time to set them straight. As per Mandalorian tradition, the woman in the household raised children for their first three or four years. Training, then, went to their father, who would raise them till they were of 13 years of age. At that time, they would become full adult warriours. Athena, having taught the boys for four years, now handed them off to Arminius.

"Yah _buir_?" Darius asked, his blonde hair shining in the sunlight as he walked in. Little _Doug'ika_ followed, Athena behind them as she brought them inside to speak with their father. Arminius was sitting down at the table as they walked in.

"Sit down. It's time we talked." Arminius said, stern.

"Something wrong _buir_?" Darius asked as the two boys sat down.

"No. It's time I teach you in the way of the Mandalore." Arminius said, setting his rifle and long sword on the table. Darius reached over for the sword, but Arminius placed his hand over it and pulled it up.

"But before I teach you two how to use these, I'm going to teach you how to use this." Arminius said, putting his finger on the side of Darius' head.

"Let's go outside boys." Arminius said, taking their hands in his and leading them out onto the fields in the north quarter of their lands.

"What's Mandalore dad?" Little _Doug'ika_ asked, his brown hair giving off a light red hue in the sunlight.

"It's what you and I are. It's an idea, a way of life; it's the people that follow it." Their dad answered, stopping at the large boulder he and his sons had carved seats out of. They sat down inside it.

"What do we do?" Darius asked.

"I'll teach you first the _Resol'nare_. They're what Mandalorians do to show their faith. They're six of them. The first," Arminius said, tapping the armour he was wearing, "is wearing the armour of our people. Each piece of it is unique to its wearer, and is a reflection of the Mandalorian wearing it. But know this: _Verd ori'shya beskar'gam_."

"What's that mean?" Doug asked.

"A warriour is more than his armour. We are who we are because of what's in here." Arminius said, poking his gloved finger into little _Doug'ika'_s chest, indicating his heart.

"Guts?" Doug asked. Argyle smiled, and tussled the boy's hair.

"You can call it that for now. That will come later."

"What's next?" Darius asked.

"Speaking the language of our people, _Mando'a_."

"Is that what you and mommy speak sometimes?" Darius asked.

"It is. You'll learn it over time. The next is to defend yourselves and your family."

"You mean fighting?" Doug asked.

"Sometimes."

"Can we learn that, please?" Little _Doug'ika_ pleaded. Arminius and Athena loved their boys, but they had always noticed a certain aggression in them. Arminius shook his head.

"Not now. The next is something you don't need to concern yourself with yet either, and that's raising children. The fifth is aiding the clan, making it strong. And the last is why you need the clan to be strong – to serve Mandalore."

"Mandalore? Our people?" _Doug'ika_ asked.

"Mandalore is the leader of our people, the Mandalorians. It's the greatest honour a Mandalorian can aspire to. One can hold the rank as long as they have the respect of their brothers."

"I don't get it." Darius said. Arminius smiled and put his arm around his son, shuffling him as they sat on the rock. Kids were cute like that. He had almost forgotten how much he missed their simplistic views, in contrast to the complex geo-political shape the galaxy now faced.

"I'll give you boys a history lesson. The original Mandalorians were the Taung. They acquired the name after their leader, _Te Sol'yc Mand'alor_, conquered this planet 20,000 years ago. It was then that he formed the Taung soldiers into the Mandalorian Crusaders."

"The first Mandalore?" Doug asked. Arminius nodded.

"You're catching on to _Mando'a_ already. They settled the planet, which they named after their leader. About 20 years ago, _Te Kandosii Mand'alor_, alongside the Dark Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun, launched a crusade against the Republic…"

***

"That's why the Taung are no longer the Mandalorian species. _Te Ani'la Mand'alor_ is recruiting species from all over to bolster the ranks of his army. We don't discriminate because of species, gender, or race. It's about following the code, and upholding our beliefs."

"I think I get it now." Darius said. Arminius smiled and stood up.

"Go on inside now. Your mom is cooking dinner, and we've a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Arminius said, as the boys smiled and ran off. Arminius scratched at his beard and smiled warmly. This was just the beginning for his sons, and some day, they would grow up to be great Mandalorians.

Or, so he hoped.


	3. Beskar

_Beskar_

- Mandalorian Iron

Arminius had taken the boys into town early that morning to see the _goran_. They picked out pieces of iron to use in the making of their armour, and were then prompted to pick colours for it. Darius chose blue, and Doug chose black and red-orange. They were given paint, and after a messy ordeal, Arminius and the blacksmith helped them paint their new armour, along with their helmet. When the paint had dried, and the individual pieces were stuck on the armour's under suit, Arminius helped them in putting it all on.

"_Buir_, this stuff is heavy." Little _Doug'ika_ said under his helmet, which nearly dwarfed the size of his own head. It looked rather cute, as though it were a costume rather than an actual uniform suit of Mandalorian armour.

"Yah, and what about when we get older? Aren't we gonna be too big for it?" Darius asked.

"Ha, kids." The blacksmith chuckled, walking out of the paint room and back to another project.

"It can be resized as you get older." Arminius said, walking over and taking off Doug's helmet, placing it at the boy's side under his arm. His son smiled as his father tussled his hair.

"You'll have to get used to the weight. Come, let's go home. Sucellos is going to be visiting." Arminius said. With that, Arminius and his sons walked back home.

"_Buir_, why did we paint it?" Darius asked, as they trudged over a green hill.

"Lots of reasons. Personal deeds and sentiments, your clan, rank, and terrain."

"What's terrain?" Doug asked.

"It's the land your in. If you want to hide from someone, you paint your armour the colour of the terrain. If you're hunting an animal in the forest, you paint it green, brown, and black. It's camouflage. Camo for short."

"Forest camo?" Doug asked, unknowingly putting the pieces together.

"You could call it that. What's black that you can hide with?" Arminius asked to the boy, referring to his armour's colour.

"I don't know…the sky?"

"How about shadows?" Arminius pointed out. Doug blinked, and looked forward again, thinking about it.

"So it keeps us safe?" Darius asked.

"Good. It's resistant against lightsabers, the force, and blaster fire."

"The force? And light sabers?"

"You don't need to worry about that now. Just know that the armour is part of our culture. You'll see why."

It was mid-afternoon when they arrived back home. They found that Sucellos, Athena and Arminius' first son, had already arrived, and was plowing the field via native Mandalorian Yak. Sucellos stopped what he was doing for a few minutes to come and greet his father, along with his two brothers.

"_Buir_, these my new brothers?" Sucellos asked, smiling as he removed his gloves to shake their hands.

"This is Doug, and Darius. Boys, say hello to your older brother, Sucellos." Arminius said, as the young man shook their hands. Still timid around strangers, the young boys gave a light shake to their older brother. Sucellos didn't mind though, as he was relatively new to them.

"Boys, go on inside and change, and then go help your brother in the corn fields." Arminius said to them. They waved to their older brother, than ran on inside. Arminius turned to Sucellos, and they walked on, talking about the times.

"Mandalore is making preparations, _buir_. He's had scouts in the Outer Rim for a year or two. I think he'll launch the next Crusade soon." Sucellos said. Arminius could still fight, but he considered himself a relic, one of the original Crusaders. This new Crusade, with the "Neo-Crusaders," didn't seem right to him. His true brothers were the ones who had fought and died alongside him on Basilisk, Cinnagar, Foerost, Coruscant, Ossus, and Onderon. Those were the old times, with _Te Kandosii Mand'alor_, Kun, and Qel-Droma as their leaders. But those times were past, and all his leaders and most of his friends were now dead. Yes, he was going against the Mandalorian way (philosophically, and by not falling in rank with the new Mandalore) but he was an old man now, past his prime. All he wanted to do was raise his new sons, live with his wife, and die happy.

"I heard talk in the ranks the Sith are involved. As though they're goading us to do this." Sucellos said, continuing.

"Not the Mandalorian way." Arminius replied.

"I know, and I don't like it. But anyway…we're going to start in the Outer Rim, outside Republic space. Eventually, we'll move against them, but, we'll see." Sucellos said, ending the topic as his two younger brothers returned back outside.

"Alright boys, go on with Sucellos." Arminius said to them. The boys looked to their older brother, and went with him off to the corn fields. Arminius took a quick moment to reflect on what Sucellos said, and his own thoughts, then walked over to the Yak and began plowing the field.

***

After dinner, Sucellos settled into his old room, and Arminius and Athena settled their youngest sons into bed. They then headed off to their own room. As Athena fell asleep, Arminius stayed up, still thinking about his conversation earlier in the day.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Athena asked, turning over as she noticed that her husband was still awake. Arminius lay silent for a few moments, then spoke.

"A war is going to begin soon. I want to be here, with you, and with our sons."

"Honey, do you really think Mandalore is going to go after one old Crusader? You've earned all this, and most of the clans from the last war he's already brought to Dxun. It'll be ok." She said reassuringly. Arminius thought about that for a moment, then turned to his wife.

"I love you." Arminius said. Athena smiled and kissed him.

"I love you too hon. Now get to bed, it's late."

With that, they turned off the lights, and quickly fell asleep.


	4. Akaanati'kar'oya

_Akaanati'kar'oya_

- War of Life and Death

"Boys, come outside with me." Arminius said to his two youngest sons. It was the late morning, and Sucellos and Athena could take care of the farm. He had another important lesson for his sons.

"Yah _buir_?" Darius asked as they walked on outside back to the big rock where the three of them went the other day.

"It's time I teach you the history of our people. Sit down here." Arminius said as they reached the rock and sat down. Arminius remained standing, to better instruct them.

"The heart of our culture revolves around this." Arminius said, unsheathing his sword, holding it out, as it gleamed in the late morning sun.

"Swords?" Little _Doug'ika_ asked, perplexed.

"Battle. And we'll get to that. But before we do, I need to teach you why. I'll tell you about our religion." Arminius began. Originally, he said he would tell them about their history. However, the Mandalorian religion played a very large part in their history. It was best to describe the 'why,' then the 'how.'

"Our culture is not based on race, or weapons, or armour. It's based on an ever facing tide of foreign changes within our society. But even with those changes, our core tenets remain the same. What are those?"

"…protect family, kids, clan…" Darius began, getting roughly three out of six.

"_Serimir_. Doug?"

"Uhm, Mando'a, armour, and, uhm…Mandalore?"

"Close enough. Those don't change, those are our principles. We see change as a good thing. If we remain the same, we fade away into history. So to make sure we don't stagnate, we battle. Ok?" Arminius began. The boys nodded.

"Good. Our religion reflects that. We have two gods. _Arasuum_, the sloth god, and _Kad Ha'rangir_, the destroyer god. They fought against each other in the creation epic, called the _Akaanati'kar'oya_, the War of Life and Death. Ok?"

"Why do they fight?" Doug asked, confused.

"So they won't stay the same." Darius replied.

"Why does _Kad Ha'rangir_ fight _Arasuum_?" Arminius asked them.

"So there'll be change?" Doug answered via timid question.

"Why does _Kad Ha'rangir_ want change?" Arminius asked

"So they won't die." Darius said.

"How does he do it?"

"…Destruction?" Doug responded.

"That's right. Destruction, battle, war, in the eternal struggle against _Arasuum_ in the War of Life and Death."

"…I think I get it." Doug said. Arminius smiled. They got the gist of it, that, simply, "change is good." There was a lot more to it than that, like the afterlife, the Mandalorians as nomads, the "Manda," and the "Dar'Manda," but this was a bare bones lesson in why their people did what they did. The rest would come in time in future lessons.

"Good. Now, two hundred thousand years ago, the Taungs, the original Mandalorian species, were battling humans on Coruscant. The Taung were defeated, and fled to Roon…"

"And that's why Mandalore launched his Crusade. He was looking for worthy, honourable foes to test his warriours against, to see how strong his adversaries were. He allied with Ulic after being bested by him in personal combat, therefore proving his worth. We were defeated, and the new Mandalore is seeking to change our methods in battle provided we face the Jedi or the Sith again." Arminius said, mostly ending the lesson. His son's mouths gaped, awe struck by the tantalizing amount of information he had just given to them. He didn't necessarily ever see himself as a "bard" or "griot," but with all the oral traditions he had been passing down, he certainly could be called one.

"What are they like?" Darius asked.

"Who?"

"The Jedi and Sith." Darius said. Arminius had to think about that for a moment, but had solid views on both of them.

"The Jedi are weak, noble, compassionate people. They don't do much. If the new Mandalore ever faces them, they won't be hard to deal with. They rely too much on 'the force' to aid them, instead of grasping reality. The Sith are formidable fighters. They do what's necessary for victory, regardless of the costs. I didn't like having them as allies, but they were better than the Jedi. But enough of that. Now that you two know why we fight, it's time I teach you to fight. Go on inside and put your armour on." Arminius said. They returned in a few minutes, and checking to make sure it was on correctly, along with their helmets, he pulled from his pack two wooden swords.

"Take one, and watch me." Arminius said, pulling out his own sword and engaging a training dummy he had set up. The boys were more interested in the sword than his footwork and stance, and when he noticed this he remedied that.'

For the rest of the day, Doug and Darius practiced against the dummy, then against each other. As beginners, they tended to whack each other more than they clashed swords, but Arminius stepped in to stop this. He taught them the forms of swordplay, namely Mandalorian and related styles. He refused to teach them the Echani style – that was for lightweights and young cocky _di'kuts_. Other Mandalorians may have learned and taught that to their brethren, but it wasn't Arminius' ways. Nonetheless, after a while, he managed to direct the boys fighting styles better. Instead of whacking each other, they went for sword fighting. Part of the problem was that the main Mandalorian fighting style was meant as a purely defensive form, letting one's opponent tire themselves out, eventually leaving an opening. It was in this that the flaw occurred, for then the fighter using the Mandalorian style would not take the initiative to go on the offense. This is where the Iridonian style came in. Its attacks were meant to cripple, aiming for organs, vital spots, and in general open areas where an attacker left himself open. The defensive Mandalorian style, coupled with the Iridonian counter-attacks, made for an effective form. This mesh of the two forms was called the _Ani_ style.

The day wound down, and eventually they stopped. Tomorrow was another day.


	5. Oya'karir

_Oya'karir_

- Hunt

Arminius woke up early that morning, heading out into the hills with Sucellos to set up target practice dummies. The hills weren't that far out, and they were clear of any trees. Not any dangerous animals out there, and it was far enough away from their farm that their property wouldn't be damaged should fire go astray. After setting them up, they returned back to wake up Doug and Darius. They were cute kids, and Arminius almost hated to have to teach them the ways of the Mandalorians. He was Mandalorian heart and soul, but he was also a realist. His people were a militaristic and fanatic bunch, and when these boys saw war and lived to fight another day…they'd never be the same again. Arminius himself didn't understand how he was able to live through the war and not come out a cold, heartless murderer, but he lived and became a family man like all Mandalorians should. But he didn't know how his sons would turn out, not even his eldest, Sucellos. Hopefully, his teachings would shape the boys into good men. He'd have to wait and see.

After helping them put their armour on, Sucellos and Arminius led them out to the shooting range they had set up. Sucellos and Arminius both carried rifles and blasters, and would teach both individually.

"What are we doing _buir_?" Darius asked as they walked up the hill.

"You'll see." Arminius replied. They went to the top of the hill, and he sat them down on the grass. "As Mandalorians, your expected to be warriours. I taught you yesterday how to fight. Today, your older brother and I will teach you to shoot."

"Do we always fight?" _Doug'ika_ asked.

"No. When the Mandalorians are not at war, we head home and work on the farm, in the factory, at Universities, in the market, wherever."

"Farming? What Mommy does?"

"Yes. Your last name, Fett, in Mando'a, _Vhett_, means farmer. When your not on the battlefield, you will work on the farm."

"Why do I have to work on the farm?"

"It depends. What will you do when your not with your brothers in war?"

"I don't know. Do some more fighting?"

"That you will answer yourself. Doug, come with me. Darius, go with Sucellos." With that, the two boys went to their respective teachers. The boys were handed rifles, and their older kin stood behind them, showing them how to hold the rifle, load it, aim it, turn the safety off, calibrate firing rates, and finally fire.

"Hold your breath Doug. Relax, take your time. Get a feel for the rifle, look through the scope and set the sight on the target." Arminius instructed to Doug, as he helped the boy hold and aim the rifle. Opposite them were Sucellos and Darius. After a few minutes, they finally shot, ripping holes through the dummies.

"Good job Darius. Try kneeling, it helps out your accuracy a lot." Sucellos said to his younger brother.

"Now, try it on your own." Arminius said. He and Sucellos backed away as the boys worked the rifles on their own. After a few minutes of hassling with the rifles, the boys fired again, shooting off a limb or two on the dummies. They switched it to burst fire, pulled the trigger, and three bolts fired off in quick succession of one another. However, it gave an added kick, and the boys fell backwards from the shot. Arminius and Sucellos ran forward to pull the rifles away, switch the safety back on, and make sure they were alright.

"We're ok." Darius said as Sucellos pulled him up. Arminius tended to Doug.

"Yah. That was fun. Can we do some more _buir_?" Doug asked enthusiastically, almost a look of joy in his face. It was interesting how kids sometimes were completely unaware of their mortality, but as they got older and wiser, they tended to be more cautious. To Arminius, Doug all of a sudden seemed that type of kid.

"We're going hunting today." Arminius said, as he knelt down to their level. "Do you think your ready?"

"O' course _buir_." Darius replied.

"Yah Dad." Doug said.

"Good. Doug, go with your older brother. Darius with me."

The boys nodded, and the two groups split up as they headed off into the forest to hunt prey. The woods around the Argyle farm were not as dangerous as other parts of Mandalore, but if one got lost, and went far enough, there were various species that would be a challenge for any Mandalorian. For this hunt though, deer were the target. There were certain methods in hunting that were a necessity to hunters, and Arminius and Sucellos gave their younger kin a quick lesson in them.

"Darius, crouch down with me. Part of hunting also means"

"Not being seen by your prey, Doug. To be unseen, unheard, and be completely clandestine"

"Requires the utmost skill and discretion. Can you do that Darius?"

"I can do that _buir_."

"Yup."

"There's one now Doug." Sucellos said to his younger brother, as a deer walked into view.

"Hide behind the bush Darius." Arminius instructed his son, as they stalked the forest, finding a lone deer a short ways away.

"Move slowly, we don't want to startle him."

"Take your rifle out."

"Turn the safety off Doug."

"Check the calibration Darius. Make sure it's semi-automatic."

"Aim for its head."

"Hold your breath son."

"…"

"Fire."

Two blaster shots fired off in unison in separate areas of the forest, and with them two deer fell. The boys had succeeded in their first kill. After retrieving the venison, the four met back up outside the forest.

"Good job, you three." Arminius said to his sons. They grinned happily as they headed back home to begin dinner for later. The unused venison would be sealed and stored, with Sucellos helping his mother. Meanwhile, Arminius had Doug and Darius train further in melee combat. When they were done with that, he showed them how to milk the cows. By day's end, they were tuckered out, but at least went to bed on a full stomach. They all had a big day ahead of them.


	6. Oidhche Challainn

_Oidhche Challainn_

- Archaic _Mando'a_ for 'first footing'; Clan Fishing and Gathering festival

Sucellos was only back home for a few more days, and his parents wanted to make sure all their sons, including their eldest, were going to the annual Clan gathering. There were two Clan gatherings on Mandalore, but both were for different purposes. The family had gotten up in the late morning, and would only take them a few hours to make it to their destination.

"What are we doing today _buir_?" Doug asked, his mouth full of scrambled eggs as they sat at the kitchen table for breakfast.

"Don't eat with your mouth open sweetie." Athena said to her son.

"Sorry _buir_."

"We're going to a Clan Gathering. You and Darius are going to meet your brothers."

"But aren't Darius and Sucellos my brothers?"

"Yes. Tell me what _aliit iru'shya tal'din_ means."

"Um…family…family is more than bloodlines? What's that mean?"

"It means that even Mandalorians not of your blood are family. As long as they're part of the culture, then they're family."

"So people I don't know are family too?"

"Yes. Outsiders brought into the culture can be Mandalorians as well."

"Like who?"

"Later. Finish eating." Arminius said.

The family left for the gathering within the hour. They traveled East for the _Mundoku_ River, through the forests, out of the Highlands, and into the river valley. The gathering itself was always held at the mouth of the distributaries, where the river divided into the separate streams of the Delta into the Northern Ocean. After an hour and a half trip, they had reached the gathering, where many other families and clans already were in full swing. There were Mandalorians from all over along the river shore, fishing rods out and a drink at their side. Most of the younger _ade_ were by the whirlpools, yelling jovially as they grabbed and caught little minnows with their cups. Still others were setting up for the main event, unpacking huge fishing hooks, cutting boards, knives, large pails, portable stoves, fresh water for cleaning, etc.

"Dad, what is this?" _Doug'ika_ asked. The family was setting up their own site, with a blanket or two farther up on the shore. Arminius was taking out the fishing rod when Doug asked him.

"This is the Fishing and Gathering Festival." He replied, putting his arms around his youngest sons, while Sucellos and Athena continued unpacking. "We have it every year, when the _Mundoku_ River dries up, leaving fish fresh for the picking on the riverbed. See how low it is?" Arminius asked, pointing towards the river. Millions of years ago, a glacier had covered much of the landscape on Mandalore, and when it receded towards the mountains, it carved 'U' and 'V' shaped valleys everywhere. The _Mundoku_ River was an example of this, and the now undying glacier in the mountains to the south was its source of water. Due to its odd nature, of simply drying out every year , there was never any Mandalorian settlements along the river; soil east and west of the river was rich, and provided farmland for many families, such as the Argyles. And many other rivers on Mandalore were much more reliable than the _Mundoku_ for farming, that such it was used for sport and Clan gatherings; its floodplain was able to recuperate from the normal game hunting as well.

"So, it gets dry, then everyone goes and gets all the fish?" Darius asked.

"Yes. Then the fish are taken, cut up, cleaned, and cooked to eat." Arminius answered. Doug and Darius looked off in the distance. From where they were on the river, to the west was a sparkling sea, and to the east was distant, snow covered mountains.

"What's that?" Darius asked, pointing to the sea.

"That's the Northern Ocean, where the river flows into." Arminius said.

"And that?" Doug asked, pointing to the mountains.

"That's where the headwaters are. When the Taung first came to Mandalore, they heard from locals stories of the river's god, that its identity was always unknown, because they could never find the headwaters."

"Why couldn't they find the headwaters?"

"Because of the swamp, or Sudd. Two Republic explorers, named Speke and Burton, later found the headwaters, but that's a story for another time." Arminius said. He turned towards Sucellos and Athena. "Come on, let's go help your mom and brother."

As they got up, Doug stopped. He spotted off in the distance a young girl, long brown hair, sitting on the sand as she looked down towards the river. Even at this distance, he could see her eyes, blue, as the light from the water shimmered among her irises. After a moment, she seemed to notice someone was staring at her; she looked off in Doug's direction, and caught his gaze. Suddenly, Doug was startled as Arminius grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Come Doug, we've got work to do."

"Sorry _buir_." Doug said. He followed his father, but turned to look back one last time for the girl. He couldn't see her.

Hours passed, and as Mandalore's Sun lowered, so did the river. Preparation had been going on for several days, to predict exactly what day the river would dry up. It was then estimated that day that it would dry up in the late afternoon, early evening.

Tents had been set up by those who were staying the night. Arminius and his family were camping there for the night, and along with everyone else, had turned on their lanterns to watch the river as it dried up. As if to make for cinematic effect, the river, before finally drying out, let loose one last flood.

Adding to the cheering and hollering, several pyrotechnics shot off a fireworks extravaganza, making for a most momentous experience. They were still going off as the river dried up, and the many Mandalorians (Human and Taung alike) camped along the river bank ran towards its bed, picking up what fish they could, and hauling them back to the cleaning and cutting stations.

Arminius and Athena smiled as they saw their three sons walk back from the river, hauling back as much fish as they could carry. They each had pales to carry the fish in, but upon trying to carry the fish in their own hands, Doug and Darius lost their grip on them, the wet vertebrates flopping out of their control. Sucellos set down his pale to help put the fish back in the pale, and then the three continued on with their kin towards the cleaning stations.

Dinner was served a few hours later, and, not surprisingly, fish was the main course. Fortunately, there was enough lemons and tartar sauce to go around the dinner tables that were set up. Few of the Mandalorians in attendance used the latter, as _uj'jayl_ syrup had already been cooked in with the fish. The Argyles sat with a few other clans, such as the Doribs, Nheimils, and Arawilks. Most of the adults (including those who were 13 and older) drank fine _tihaar_, while the younger children drank fruit juice. After dinner was over, _uj'alayi_ was served as dessert. Music was put on, and many joined in for the late night festivities.

"Ugh." Doug commented in childish disgust, as he saw Arminius and Athena kiss during a little Waltz. He and Darius were sitting off to the side of the temporary dance floor set up, looking at their older kin with a timid, childish fear of dancing. Sucellos walked up to them.

"Come on guys, dancing isn't so bad. It's fun, try it out. Just go talk to a girl and ask if they want to dance. It's simple. No one's judging you." Sucellos said, doing his best to help his younger brothers break down a social wall or two.

"Girls are grody." Darius said with finality. Sucellos shrugged.

"Alright, but you don't know what you guys are missing." Sucellos said, turning his head to wave to a girl about his age. He walked off, leaving Darius and Doug to sit and watch. The two sat and watched for a little while before Darius spoke up.

"Do you ever wonder about mom and dad?"

"No. They're just mom and dad." Doug replied, with a hint of ignorant bliss in his voice. Darius turned back, seeing he wasn't going to get much out of his brother. Doug looked off, and spotted her again. The girl he saw before, with the long brown hair and blue eyes.

"Bye." Doug said to Darius, standing up and walking off towards her, nearly mesmerized. Darius raised a confused brow, and continued staring off after his kin. As Doug went up to a brunette girl, something in Darius ached – thundered, taking him aback, making him horribly upset. What was this dreadful feeling, and how could it have happened to such a young boy?

"Um…hi…I'm Douglas Fett." Doug said to the girl, shy and timid. The only female he'd ever spoken to was his mom, but that was his mom. This was entirely new territory for the young boy. She looked shy too, her eyes wandering about, avoiding his. Finally, she looked back.

"I…saw you earlier. I'm Boudica, Boudica Sirona." She said. They both made little smiles, but otherwise didn't say much. A few Taung walked by, waved to them, and continued on.

"Um, would you like-" Doug began to ask, before being cutoff as one of Boudica's parents came over to get her.

"Boudica, time for bed." Her father said, taking her hand.

"Ok. Bye!" She said to Doug, turning back as she walked away. Doug blinked a few times, then turned and walked back towards his brother.

"So what happened?" Darius asked, a hint of ambivalence in his voice.

"I met a girl." Doug replied, ignorant of his brother's feelings. They didn't know it, as they were too young to understand, but a divide had formed between them – one which would fester for years to come.

***

Many of the Clans left the next day, and headed back to their homes. It was a fine time, with the Mandalorian Clans all seeing each other. Most of the left over fish was sold to the larger cities on Mandalore, such as Keldabe, Dhukar, and Mos'aygn. The Argyles tended to their farm, but there was one more trip Arminius and Athena wanted before Sucellos had to leave for Dxun.


	7. Morut

_Morut_

- Stronghold

A few days later, the Argyle family was on another trip. They had left in the early morning, hiking down out of the forested highlands to the north. Arminius made sure they would avoid the Fett's old homestead, where he had found the boys when they were still babies. Coming down out of the highlands, they came upon the _Dha_ River, crossing a bridge to get to the other side. The terrain on the other side of the _Dha_ was different from what they had been accustomed to. While they lived in the highlands, often shrouded in mist, or rained upon, and protected by the forest, this side of the river was dry. Dying grass, dust tornadoes, and a generally parched landscape was the norm here.

"Buir, what are we doing here?" Darius asked, as they trudged up another barren hill. Neither boy complained that their legs were tired – already they were showing the endurance and strength all true warriours needed to survive.

"You'll see soon, son." Arminius replied. As they got to the top of the hill, Arminius stopped. Athena, holding her husband's hand, looked at her youngest sons and smiled as she saw them awe struck by the sight in front of them.

Arminius noticed this too, and smiled. Athena set down a blanket, while Arminius took their lunches from his pack. Sucellos joined his mother and father for lunch, while Doug and Darius continued to stare at the great fortress.

"Can we go explore it, can we?" Doug asked his parents.

"No, you need to eat. Come on you two." Athena replied.

"Ah shucks." Darius said with disappointment. As the two boys joined their family and began their lunch, Darius noticed something a little ways down the hill. It looked like a large white bone, but he wasn't sure.

"What's that?" Darius asked, pointing at it. His elder family members looked down the hill to where he was pointing.

"Oh yah…mythosaurs." Sucellos said, taking another bite out of his lunch.

"Mytha what?" Doug asked.

"Mythosaurs, sweetie. Old, old creatures. They're extinct now though." Athena replied to her sons. She eyed her husband, silently asking him to teach them. Arminius set his sandwich down.

"Remember _Te Sol'yc Mand'alor_?" Arminius asked his two young sons.

"Mandalore…the first?" Doug'ika asked, recalling their earlier lessons.

"Yes. When he and the Taung arrived here, they drove the species into extinction, and used their skeletons to make cities across the planet. We just happened to find a lone piece of one left here." Arminius said, going back to his sandwich. The boys sat and ate, un-phased by the grim nature of the story's reality. The family, after finishing lunch, packed up and continued walking for the fortress.

"Does anybody live here?" Darius asked, as they walked across the stone bridge to the interior of the castle.

"Not anymore. This used to be a residence of the Mandalore Templars." Arminius replied.

"Who?" Darius asked, lifting his head up to look at the towers inside the castle. To a young child, they seemed to go on for miles, up into the sky.

"They're a branch of Mandalorians, formed at the same time the Crusaders were by _Te Sol'yc Mand'alor_." Arminius replied.

"What do they do?" Darius asked, holding his mother's hand.

"Originally, Mandalore the First gave them the task of setting up fortresses like these, to provide refuge to their fellow Taung who were being beaten by the Mythosaurs. The beasts were as big as cities, after all." Arminius said.

"Then," Arminius continued, "some time after killing off the Mythosaurs, a lot of them went up into the mountains and became shamans, oracles. They claimed they could communicate with our fallen Mandalorian brothers. Then, after that, some more of them claimed they were receiving messages of war. And, to this day, they still make their own wars." Arminius said.

"So…they were…separate from the Crusaders?" Doug asked, confused.

"Yes. They went to war on their own. Their leader, called the 'Grand Master,' was elected because he had received visions from Mandalore the First, who had died sometime after they took the planet and killed off the Mythosaurs." Arminius replied.

"Did he really receive visions from Mandalore?" Darius asked. Arminius stopped and looked at his son. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up.

"I don't know, Darius. I don't know."

Arminius continued walking along in the castle. Darius and Doug were confused; this was the first time their father didn't know. How could that be? Nevertheless, they enjoyed the trip to the Templar castle. Afternoon came and gone, replaced by the evening. Overhead, as they stood on the castle's outer walls and looked out over the landscape, they were witness to the strange phenomena known as _na fir-chlis_, or "the merry dancers" in archaic _Mando'a_. Arminius and Athena told young Darius and Doug about the odd lights in the sky, and the translation into their Mandalorian language.

"There's a proverb for this." Sucellos said, turning to his younger brothers. "They say that 'when the merry dancers play, they are like to slay.'"

"What's that mean?" Doug asked.

"It means that when the merry dancers aren't playful anymore, they end up in a very serious _akaanir_. When you see those lights in the night and find red lichen on the stones the next morning, then you know the once merry dancers probably bled each other. A lot. It also means there's going to be bad weather approaching." Sucellos said. The young boys raised their brows in surprise.

"Which means we should get going. It's getting dark." Athena said. Arminius nodded, and hefted his two youngest sons up onto his broad shoulders playfully, tickling them. Darius and Doug laughed gleefully.

It would be the happiest moment of their young lives, before events, much more complex than they could comprehend at the time, engulfed them in an ocean of war, tragedy, and death.


	8. Aay'han

_Aay'han_

- Bittersweet moment of mourning, remembering

Sucellos had left the day after, biding farewell to his parents, and his two younger brothers. He had left for Dxun, where Mandalore was gearing up for his eventual attack upon the Republic.

It was the last time any of his family members ever saw him again.

Arminius, meanwhile, continued training Darius and Doug, having them practice sword fighting against each other, and firing rifles at deer. When they weren't training, they were working the farm with their mother. They had learned a lot, but now, most of the knowledge they had learned of the Mandalorians had to be applied as Mandalorians. They were four years old by now, and so the true reality of their culture would not hit them till they came of thirteen years of age.

There was, however, other knowledge they had to learn, at some point in their lives. Arminius and Athena agreed on that much. Those fine details, that didn't have to do with the Mandalorians, or fighting, or farming. This was about their origins.

Several nights later, after the Argyle family had dinner and cleaned up, Arminius and Athena tucked their sons into bed, as they had many times before. Arminius and Athena made love that night, one of the sensual and physical joys in life that they couldn't enjoy as of late. Athena went straight to sleep after that, but Arminius was unable to. Something was nagging at his conscious as he left to head outside, get some air and collect his thoughts. Finding a good rock to sit on, Arminius thought about all his dead comrades, and the Neo-Crusaders. Deep down, Arminius yearned to join the new generation of Mandalorians, to fight again, but he also knew that he had a duty here, to his wife and children. For a few minutes, Arminius sat in silence.

"_Buir_?"

Arminius turned to see Doug walking out of the house, his hair ruffled and wearing a tunic.

"I can't sleep." The young boy said, as he walked up beside Arminius. The man smiled, picked up the boy and set him on his lap.

"Neither could I, _Doug'ika_."

"Why not?" The boy asked.

"I was thinking about old friends." Arminius said. The young boy's face contorted in confusion.

"When you get to be as old as I am, you're going to have a lot of memories of people you once knew, but can't see anymore." Arminius explained.

"Why not?" The boy asked, in the same naïve tone as he asked previously. Arminius hesitated. There were grim facts of life he didn't want to share with his son yet. He persisted anyway. Better to shape the boys now than later.

"In our culture, people die a lot."

"Because of war?"

"Yes. Most of us do. I'll die of old age, if god wills it." Arminius said. The boy looked like someone had stabbed him through the heart. But this discussion would penetrate much further than a blade ever could.

"I don't want you to die, _buir_."

"Don't worry about me Doug. Every warriour has his end. What matters at that final moment is that you're dying alongside your brothers, your comrades in arms, fellow Mandalorians. What matters is that you put everything on the line, everything you love and cherish, and make that final battle of your life the best battle of your life. Everything you've ever done up to that point, everything you are will be your weapon. Don't ever forget that Doug. Do you understand me?" Arminius asked, edgy, serious. Doug nodded with an _uh huh_.

"Good." Arminius said. His mind drifted back to his long gone friends and comrades. Doug continued to think on what his father had told him.

"Did your friends die in war?" The boy asked. Arminius nodded grimly.

"It was a long time ago. There's a word for remembering lost friends. _Aay'han_."

"_Aay'han_." Doug repeated.

"When you lose someone important, you vow to remember them every day. We Mandalorians never forget the honoured dead. _Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar dasaruum_. Jervis, Aden, Comgell." Arminius said.

"They were my closest comrades. I'll always remember them. When you get out into the galaxy and join Mandalore, you'll make friends of your own as well." Arminius said. Doug's thoughts immediately drifted to the girl he had met at the Clan Gathering, Boudica.

"I met a girl, _buir_." The young boy said.

"What's her name?" Arminius asked.

"Boudica." Doug replied. Arminius saw the enthusiasm in his son's voice and realized this was another perfect opportunity to tell the boy about his culture.

"Doug, Mandalorians are adults when they turn thirteen. It's at that age that you go through the _verd'goten_."

"What's that?"

"It's a trial of strength and endurance. Your mother raised you and Darius for a time, but now it's up to me to teach you the way of the warriour. I'm preparing you two for that trial, and eventually for when you join Mandalore's army."

"So we'll fight for Mandalore then." Doug said. Arminius nodded.

"You'll be part of the newest generation of Mandalorians. Taung, Humans, aliens alike, as the Neo-Crusaders. You'll fight for Mandalore, you'll fulfill your duties of honour, and you'll succeed as Mandalorians." Arminius said. But, of course, there was something the boys had to know. How it would affect them, Arminius could only guess.

"And when the war is done?" Doug asked.

"As your last name implies, you and Darius will farm. Your _Vhett_ ancestors did the same."

"Just like you and mom?"

"Just like your mother and I." Arminius said, smiling. The boy looked confused, but smiled when his brother Darius came out to join them. Arminius scooped the boy up and set him beside him, both his sons in his arms. Arminius filled in Darius what they were talking about, hoping Doug's racing mind had cooled down. It hadn't.

"But…why do you and mom have a different name than me and Darius?" Doug asked, sailing further down the dark corridor of truth. It was time. Time to tell the boys. Explanations of being orphans (the literal truth, anyway) were out the window.

"Doug, Darius, there's something you have to know. You two are orphans. I found the both of you in a hut north of here. Your blood parents abandoned you, so your mother and I adopted you. Adoption is quite normal in Mandalorian society." Arminius said coolly. The boys looked stunned. Everything they had been taught told him that this is normal, not having the same bloodlines as your parents. But it struck deeper than what the Mandalorians were used to.

Doug said nothing as he left to go inside, not sparing a glance at his father, as Darius followed him. Arminius looked on. Every fiber of his being assured Arminius that what he did was right, but he knew his two sons would be changed forever.

Arminius could only imagine what they would be like later on in life with this knowledge. He wouldn't live long enough to see what his two boys would become.


	9. Am Mod

_Am Mod_

- Archaic _Mando'a_: Mandalorian Gathering and Games Festival

A week followed since Arminius' revelation to his sons. They seemed different, almost inert. Arminius toughened them into shape, with more sparring and hunting. In his view, everybody has problems; What mattered to him was showing resolve and resistance in the face of adversity, and eventually coming to terms with the problem.

So their attendance to the _Am Mod_, while not exclusively connected with the boys, was also to get out, have fun, and meet other Mandalorians. Since it was on another continent on Mandalore, Arminius and Athena decided to fly, via their G-wing.

The festival itself was held in the northern hemisphere, where the weather was temperate. There was a slight chill in the air, an allusion to the oncoming winter. It always took place in a large forest clearing; a large mythosaur skeleton, perched atop a nearby mountain, loomed over the site. Doug and Darius looked out the shuttle's view ports, watching the games down below and eyeing the large mythosaur skeleton.

"It's a mythosaur skeleton." Darius said, pointing. Athena smiled and nodded to her son. Doug, meanwhile, looked on pensively.

Arminius and Athena landed the G-wing in a nearby clearing, walking out holding their son's hands. As they got closer, they could make out familiar faces and friends, as well as the events themselves.

"Mom told us about these." Darius began. "Competive events. To show strength."

"It's 'competitive,' darling." Athena said.

"Sorry _buir_."

They entered another large forest clearing, where Mandalorians watched other Mandalorians taking part in the events. The first event they noticed was the "Stone Put." An Akurian was competing against a Boltrunian; the technique for the 'put' was that the athletes would cradle the 'Braemar' stone between their neck and shoulder, running forward and lunging it up and forward into the air. The small crowd that gathered nearby cheered as both competitors lunged the stone forward, the Akurian's landing just inches ahead of the Boltrunian's. The Argyles moved on.*

A small band of pipers, fiddlers, and harpers were set up. A few Dugs, Biths, and humans made up the band, which attracted a small gathering, though their music could he heard throughout the area. For the first time in days, Doug spoke up.

"Are they wearing skirts?" The boy asked, pointing to a group of Taung and Human Mandalorians standing nearby. Arminius pushed his arm down.

"It's impolite to point at other Mandalorians." Arminius said.

"Those are kilts, darling. Clan tartans. Just like our armour, it's symbolic of the wearer, and the whole clan." Athena said to her son. Doug nodded, and looked on towards the other athletic events.

"Arminius, I haven't seen you since Coruscant!" Yelled a nearby Gamorrean. Arminius turned, and recognizing his friend, went and hugged his old comrade.

"It's good to see you again Vork." Arminius said, the Gamorrean Vork walking beside him back to Athena and the boys.

"Honey, this is Vork, an old comrade of mine from the war. Vork, this is my wife Athena."

"How do you do?" Athena asked, shaking hands with the Gamorrean. Vork made as pleasant a smile as a Gamorrean could, and looked down at the two boys standing on either side of Athena. The boys looked back at Vork, wide eyed and weary.

"They've never seen an alien before or what?" Vork asked, kneeling down and shaking hands with them.

"They're only used to us and the Taung." Arminius replied.

"Ah ha. And what are your names?" Vork asked. Despite his repulsive breath, Vork turned out to be a likeable fellow. The boys took a liking to him.

"I'm Darius."

"Doug."

"May I show your sons around?" Vork asked.

"Go right ahead." Arminius replied.

"We'll see you two later!" Athena said to her two sons, as she and Arminius walked off. In any other culture, parents would have been appalled at the thought of letting some stranger, namely a Gamorrean, baby-sit their kids. However, Mandalorians were different. To them, relations among each other were not of bloodlines, or family lineage. It was about sharing common goals and serving Mandalore. Arminius knew Vork well. They fought side by side on Basilisk, Foerost, and Coruscant. They were comrades in arms to the bloody end. They also shared a great abhorrence of the Echani, and the Jedi.

Vork led Darius and Doug to a few of the other events that were being hosted. After the stone put there was the hammer throw, where a competitor would whirl a hammer about his head, gaining enough momentum that when thrown, would fly a long distance. The two competitors, a Trandoshan and a Wookie, threw their hammers, with the Trandoshan's landing just a short distance farther than the Wookie's. The two shook hands afterwards, prompting Vork to do a double take.

"You don't see that every day." Vork said.

"Don't see what?" Doug asked.

"Uh, nothing. Hey, you kids hungry?"

"Uh huh." They both replied.

"Good. You ever had haggis before?"

"What's that?"

"Um, it's good for you. Like _uj'alayi_, but better. It'll put hair on your chest." Vork said. The two boys were too naïve to see through the Gamorrean's wiles, so they went along with it. Vork led them over to a nearby food stand, where a friend of his was working.

"Shuk, two orders of haggis for these boys and I! _Shig_ for them, whisky for myself!" Vork ordered to his Taung pal.

"Coming right up Vork…"

***

"More _shig_ boys?" Vork asked, shoving another piece of "pluck" into his mouth. The two boys said nothing, only giving Vork mute, unfeeling looks, as though they had just been dropped in a vat of Bantha poodoo and not given a proper cleaning afterwards.

"Juice…would be good." Darius said, sitting at a wooden table with his brother and Vork. Doug looked like he was about to pass out, pushing his 'cleaned' plate aside and allowing his head to fall on the table.

"Hmm, I guess it's an acquired taste." Vork said, as Darius drank more _shig_. He helped his brother back to sitting in an upright position.

"Well, I'm satisfied. Ready?" Vork asked, finishing off the last of his haggis and swigging the rest of his whisky. The boys dimly nodded, still sapped from their ordeal with lunch.

"Good. Hey, we can get to the next weight throw event. It's similar to the hammer throw. Its good fun, you guys will like it."

"Is it good like haggis?" Darius asked, making a jest to their Gamorrean comrade.

"Um, better. Its good exercise."

"What's that?" Doug asked, refraining from pointing and instead nodding off in the direction of another event.

"Ah, that's the weight over the bar. The competitor throws a big heavy weight over a horizontal bar. If you ever do it, make sure you don't let it fall on you. It hurts. A lot."

"And that?" Darius asked, nodding as well.

"Caber toss. Watch for yourself boys. It makes for one hell of a show."

The three sat down on some nearby tree stumps, watching as the two competitors went about with their task. A buff, blonde, human female held a long, vertical log in her hands, as she ran forward and lunged it ahead. The point of the caber toss was for the competitors to throw their individual cabers, enough so that it would complete a full revolution in mid air, landing in the 12 o'clock position relative to the competitor, thereby "turning the caber." The human female, throwing it forward, managed to make the caber revolve 360 degrees in mid air, landing in the 12 o'clock position. The human Mandalorian who had gone before her, impressed by her victory and his loss, went up to her and shook her hand.

"Wow." Doug said, stunned that such a feat could be accomplished. Darius and Vork's attention had already moved on to the nearby battle circle, as Doug joined them.

"Who's fighting?" Darius asked. Vork shrugged, as a Rodian, in full Mandalorian armour (modified to fit Rodian physical characteristics), approached.

"That's my son, Grieze, fighting one of the Fetts. Titus, I think his name is." The Rodian said, walking over to the battle circle to cheer his son on. Darius and Doug looked at each other quizzically.

"Do we have another brother?" Darius asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we should meet him." Doug responded.

"You two have fun. I'll be here." Vork said. Doug and Darius stood up and walked over to the battle circle. It was uncommon for Mandalorian children, under the age of 13, to fight in a battle circle. However, in the _Am Mod_, anything went; it was held to celebrate Mandalorian values, and in this case, put Mandalorian children's training and minimal combat experience to the test, against other Mandalorians in their age group.

Doug and Darius crowded around with other Mandalorians to watch Grieze and Titus spar. They were using only their fists and feet; a child Mandalorian using a weapon against another was completely out of the question. Mostly they were using their fists. Titus relentlessly threw punch after punch at Grieze, who was doing his best to block each oncoming punch. After another punch, Grieze, having bided his time, dodged to Titus' side, grabbing his arm and throwing Titus to the ground. Grieze moved to stomp him, but Titus, unpredictable and fast, rolled away, quickly regaining stability and delivering a sweep into the back of Grieze's heels. Grieze was knocked onto his back, and Titus moved in with his fist to the Rodian's neck. For a Mandalorian child, Titus knew the rules quite well, and did not even move to make a killing blow. The battle circle sergeant stepped into the ring.

"The winner of this match is Titus Fett." The sergeant announced. The crowd cheered, as Titus helped his comrade to his feet and shook his hand. Two new duelists entered the ring, as Titus walked away. Darius ran up to him, as Doug walked.

"Your from the clan Fett?" Darius asked as he approached. Titus turned.

"Yah, I am."

"Me too. I'm Darius." Darius said, shaking his hand.

"I'm Titus." He said, as Doug approached.

"Who are you?" Titus asked.

"Douglas Fett." The boy responded. Titus looked stumped as he turned and walked, with Doug and Darius walking beside him.

"How did I never meet you guys before?" Titus asked.

"Well, kind of a long story." Darius responded, mimicking as best he could what an adult would say. Darius and Doug hadn't had the chance to socialize with other Mandalorians, so they took their cue from what older Mandalorians were doing.

"I don't care, tell me." Titus replied. Before Darius could respond, Doug walked off. Sitting on the sandy beach of the nearby lake was the girl he had met before, at _Oidhche Challainn_: Boudica Sirona.

"Hey, where you going?" Darius asked, annoyed. Doug didn't respond as he continued walking, as Darius looked off and found his answer: The girl Doug had met before. That dark feeling he had felt before rose again in his mind. Darius felt hurt, but he wasn't sure why; it was as though his brother was abandoning him. It seemed strangely familiar, like an old fear from when he was a newborn, like when his blood parents abandoned him and Doug…it suddenly clicked in Darius' mind. Within his soul, he felt the embers of hate burn into resentment, but as a child, he couldn't identify what he was feeling – all he knew was that he was simply beginning to dislike his own brother. After watching Doug walk off towards the girl, Titus shook him.

"What's with you?"

"Nothing. Doug and me never knew our parents. We were adopted by our new mom and dad when dad found us. He was hunting when he found us."

"Whoa, far out!"

***

Doug walked past the archery competition, with another battle circle on the other side as he walked down towards the lake. Boudica's brown hair shined under the glimmer of the sunlight. Her helmet lay beside her, as she wore the rest of her armour. It was blue, with red trim. It looked similar to his own armour he had on, black with red trim. He stopped 10 feet short of where she was sitting on her blanket, suddenly unsure what to say or what to do. Standing idly with his jaw dropped some, his helmet in one hand, she turned around and looked at him.

"Hi…Doug?" She asked. Doug nodded, freezing up with fright. He willingly calmed himself down after a few moments. Doing his best to "be cool," he swaggered over.

"Your…Boudica." He said, remembering her name. She smiled and nodded. Doug felt relieved he hadn't embarrassed himself yet.

"You remembered! Do you want _gihaal_?" Boudica asked.

"_Gihaal_?"

"Yup. It's from the fish from _Oidhche Challainn_. Want some?" Boudica asked, spreading some on a cracker and handing it to him. Still shy, Doug worked up the courage to walk over and sit down next to her. He took the cracker of _Gihaal_ and ate it.

"I like this better then that other stuff." Doug remarked, as Boudica handed him another cracker of _Gihaal_.

"What stuff?"

"The haggis stuff. It was gross."

"Yah. I think it's gross too." Boudica said. The two sat in silence, save for the crunching of crackers and the cutting of _Gihaal_.

Doug looked out to the lake and beyond, the water glimmering under the sunshine. Beyond the lake was more forest, and far off in the distance there looked like a…

"Is that a Templar Castle?" Doug asked, pointing. Boudica looked off to see what he meant. She shrugged.

"I don't know. What's a Templar?"

"Really old Mandalorians. Killed a lot of Mythosaurs."

"Cool! Let's check it out!" Boudica exclaimed. Doug nodded, eating one more cracker before joining of Boudica along the beachfront.

Reaching the other side of the lake, they took off into the forest. It was serene and beautiful, as they began down the path. Doug relaxed some, nervous about being with…a girl. Regardless, now that they were off on a little adventure doing something, he felt better. Arminius' teaching of the evils of stagnation had struck a chord with the boy, who was jovial as they walked along. Nevertheless, he was weary, putting his hand on his blaster as it sat in it's holster. He turned to Boudica and smiled.

"Hey, you blend in!" Doug exclaimed, pointing to Boudica's gold armour, which looked strikingly similar to the sun bathed dirt and bark surrounding the forest path.

"Wow!" Boudica said, noticing it too. As it was bright out, the both of them put their helmets on, using the visors to screen out the sunshine. They continued further in silence.

"So what does your mom and dad do? Tell me about your family." Boudica said, breaking the silence.

"They farm. My brother and me help. Mostly my dad trains us Mando stuff. History, and battle and stuff. I have an older brother too, but not by blood. He makes some drink adults like. My brother and me went to the smith, and got our armour, and use it to fight." Doug replied.

"Each other?"

"Sometimes, for training. We hunt deer mostly. We used rifles once, but our dad wants us to use these instead." Doug said, patting his holstered blaster. In all the Galaxy, no other culture armed their children with firearms. But then again, no other culture trained their children to be warriours. Mandalorian children were still immature like any normal child, but they knew when it was appropriate to draw their weapons, and what they were meant for. They knew that guns are not toys. In any other culture, kids that played with guns ended up dead.

"My dad trained me too. We use swords, and the thing on our arms. Gauntlet lasers." Boudica replied.

"So why yellow?" Doug asked, referring to Boudica's armour.

"Gold. It's supposed to be mean vengeance, and virtuous too. I don't know what that is, but I like it."

"Vengeance?"

"No, virtuous. And black?"

"My dad said something about camo, and hiding in shadows. Black means justice too. What's your family like?" Doug asked.

"It's just my mom, my dad and me. We actually have a lot of adopted Mandalorians with us too, helping us run a lumber mill. Mom wants me to be an oracle someday and help other Mandalorians. That's what our last name means. Sirona means healer. And your family names?" Boudica asked, as they passed around another bend in the forest trail.

"Well, my brother and me are the Fetts, because our blood parents were farmers. My dad's last name is Argyle, which he said is from some place called Dal Raida, or Caledonia. Darius is my brother because my mom liked the name, and my name means 'from the dark river,' or 'dark stranger,' or something."

"The _Dha_ River?"

"Yah, that's where my dad found me."

"What do you mean he found you?" Boudica asked, as they crossed a bridge.

"Well…" Doug paused, unsure of how to put it. He didn't understand any of it. He didn't understand why his blood parents left. He loved his mom and dad, Athena and Arminius, but didn't understand why there was a distance between him and them. He didn't understand any of it, he didn't know the words to describe it, and he only knew that it hurt.

Before Doug could even mention a word, the two of them heard something. It was a growl…several growls. Doug and Boudica immediately dropped into their respective combat roles, the boy equipping his blaster and the girl her sword. They were armoured head to doe, helmet and all. Using their helmet's sensors, they located the source of the growls nearby. They turned around, and spotted three beasts standing at the bridge. The two young Mandalorians made no hesitation and ran, the three beasts in hot pursuit.

Doug and Boudica ran off deeper into the forest, which began to take on a darker look. Heavy mist and fog eliminated any visibility left. No sunlight was able to penetrate the forest canopy. To the two young Mandalorians, it seemed like an enchanted forest from the romanticized tales the bards and minstrels sung of. However, this forest seemed brooding, imposing, like nothing they could have ever imagined.

The growls turned into snarls, as the two Mandalorians continued running. On their helmet's sensors, they saw two of the beasts break off, in preparation for a flanking attack. They were pack hunters, and their growls and snarls were command signals. Doug and Boudica crossed with the creek from earlier, which had now widened into a small river. Without hesitation, they jumped in. Through teaching and their warriour instincts, they knew the water would throw off their attacker's scent.

Using their helmet's rebreather air supply, the two children hid under the water, swimming down stream. Their sensors told them their three attackers were out of range. After being pulled down current for a few minutes, Doug and Boudica, catching the loud sounds of rushing water, grabbed a hold of some rocks and pulled each other out. They had gotten out just as the river dropped into a waterfall.

"That was CRAZY." Doug exclaimed, laughing at his euphoria.

"What were those things?" Boudica asked.

"I don't know. I never saw 'em when dad took me hunting." Doug said, as he and Boudica checked their weapons. Their training as Mandalorians had already kicked in, and as new warriours they felt fear. But it was that fear that drove them to cheat death, and it was their newfound fear that they would overcome, and beat down every time it reared it's head.

As they stood catching their breath, the beasts approached. One in front of them next to the stream, and the other two from opposite directions of the stream. Doug and Boudica were trapped and cornered, with the three beasts to each side of them and the waterfall. They held each other's hands, and turned to look at each other in the eyes. In that short moment, they recognized whatever it was they felt for each other. It was more than being comrades in arms, but neither could place it.

The three beasts were on all fours, as they growled, restless, shifting and growling impatiently. They salivated, savoring their prey in anticipation for blood. Unable to take it anymore, the three beasts pounced.

***

Arminius and Athena, seeing as it was getting late, headed over to where Vork the Gamorrean was, near the battle circle. As they approached, they saw he was clearly passed out, and reeked of alcohol. Arminius knelt down to wake him up, while Athena spotted Darius with another boy, and went over to fetch him. After a few moments, Vork woke up, and was surprised to see the few number of people left.

"Gees, where is everyone?" Vork asked, startled.

"_Am Mod_ is closing shop, Vork. Where's Doug?" Arminius asked, as calmly as he could. Darius, waving farewell to his new friend Titus, walked back over with Athena.

"Oh, right, Doug, he was…oh, I think I drank too much…"

"Where's my son damnit?" Arminius yelled, grabbing the Gamorrean by the collar. A moment later, two other parents happened by, who looked as worried as they were.

"Are you missing your child as well?" The woman asked. Arminius let go of Vork and stood up next to Athena.

"Our other son is gone. This is my wife Athena, and I'm Arminius of Argyle."

"I'm Tamesis Sirona." The woman said.

"Arvernus Sirona." The husband said.

"Is it possible our children ran off together somewhere?" Athena asked, as Darius tugged at her hand. She knelt down and he whispered into her ear.

"This is our son Darius. He says Doug went down to the beach to see a girl with brown hair." Athena said.

"That must be our Boudica." Arvernus said, as he looked down towards the beach. Neither family saw their missing child.

"Where could they be?" Tamesis asked, worried. Darius tugged on Athena's hand again, and pointed off to a faraway castle.

"The Templar Fortress." Arminius said, seeing where Darius pointed.

"The same one we went to before?" Darius asked.

"No sweetie, this is a different one." Athena replied.

"That's a pretty dense forest. Our speeder won't be able to traverse it." Said Arvernus.

"Athena and I have a shuttle. Let's go." Said Arminius. He, Athena, Darius, Arvernus and Tamesis Sirona headed over to the shuttle, docked in one of the fairground's forest clearings. They went inside, and a few moments later headed off to find Doug and Boudica.

***

In that short moment, Doug and Boudica put their helmets back on, let off as many blaster bolts and wrist laser shots as they could, then leaped off into the waterfall. The three beasts scurried to the edge, missing their prey by a second. The beasts howled into the evening sky, angry at losing their prey. After howling for a few moments, they regained their drive, and continued on. Their hunt was not over yet.

Doug and Boudica continued holding each other's hands as they fell endlessly down the waterfall. They had no jetpacks, and no grappling hooks as armaments yet. So they crashed into the large pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall. Going under for a few moments, they bobbed back up, swimming over to the beach. The two young Mandalorians were tired and scared; what began as a harmless but naïve adventure had turned into a nightmare. They were lost, they were tired, evening and soon night time was setting in, and to top it off, Mandalore's wildlife was after them.

But it didn't mean they were going to cry and give up. They were Mandalorians, and whatever didn't kill them only made them stronger. The two of them stood up and caught their breath.

"We have to keep going. Those monsters are still after us." Doug said.

"If we try and fight them…" Boudica began, trailing off. Doug took her hand.

"No. We can use the Templar castle for protection. Once we make it there we'll be ok." Doug, said, reassuring her. Boudica nodded, and they continued walking through thick forest. This forest, however, was exotic, and was one of Mandalore's many jungles.

"It's warm." Boudica noted, as they traversed the jungle.

"Yah. We might actually lose them in here." Doug replied. A few moments later they heard the familiar snarls of their attackers. Doug and Boudica bolted forward, as the beasts from before assaulted them.

The jungle was a whirl of mist, spiders the size of one's skull, tree sized mushrooms, animate man eating plants, man-eating ants the size of one's fist, centipedes as large as a bazooka, panthers, jaguars, lions, tigers, and bears. But the two young Mandalorians made it through, exiting the jungle into tall grass savannahs. Beyond them was a vast wasteland and desert, surrounding their destination: The Templar Castle. The two continued on.

As they hurried out of the savannah, they entered into the desert. They kicked up sand as they trudged forward. This was no normal desert, as far as they could see. Odd shapes, like black holes and spikes sticking up, were everywhere. As they got closer, the two young Mandalorians saw what all the large shapes were: giant Mythosaur skeletons. As Templar fortresses were built to protect lone Mandalorians traveling the countryside and to fight and kill Mythosaurs, it was inevitable that the Mythosaur body count would rise. Some places used Mythosaur skeletons as building structures, while in the case of the Templars, they used them to slow down live Mythosaurs.

Doug and Boudica heard snarls off in the distance, and made a run for it. They had barely entered the skeleton maze when the beasts caught up to them. The two young Mandalorians were running uphill around a curve, past another foreboding skeleton when Boudica tripped. Doug turned to go back for her when he saw one of the beasts catch up and jump towards her.

"Boudica!" Doug yelled, grabbing the tip of a Mythosaur claw and diving forward. He and the beast connected in midair…and the beast fell backward, the Mythosaur claw jammed into it's chest. Boudica pulled herself up, as Doug let out his gauntlet's retractable vibroshiv, and hacked away at the beast's throat. Satisfied with the kill, the boy stood up, pulled out his blaster, and shot it in the head for good measure. He turned back to join Boudica.

"Two more of them. Let's keep going." Doug said. Boudica noticed Doug's blood soaked armour, but made no mention of it. She would've done the same thing. They were Mandalorian warriours, and they were going to fight or die, no matter the costs. The two of them continued up the small mountain towards the old Templar castle.

Doug and Boudica entered through the drawbridge. From the looks of it, there was no way to raise or lower the bridge anymore. There was not even any boiling oil or pots left. The place had been abandoned for several thousand years, after all. The two young Mandalorians were the only sentient being in the place. Not for long though. They went exploring through the castle and it's inner keep.

"We have to fins some way to ambush them." Doug said, as they walked into the inner keep. Many dark alcoves and hallways made up the fortress' last line of defense.

"This place should work." Boudica said, pointing to the four-way walkway at the bottom level: entrance, left, right, and forward.

"Yah. If we had…" Doug said, trailing off as he spotted a glint of light in a nearby room. Checking his helmet's sensors to make sure they were clear (and seeing they were), he walked inside. The boy felt relieved as he spotted swords, maces, pikes, halberds, and even Mythosaur axes. The boy took some pole arms, laying them in the entrance to the armoury and a few on either side of the entrance/exit.

"If we can trip them, we can kill them when they're down." Doug said. Boudica nodded, picking up a long sword and a hand axe. Doug took a mace and a dirk. As they were about to set up their ambush, Boudica walked over to him.

"Doug, if this doesn't work, and one of us…" Boudica said, unable to finish the sentence. Doug took one of her hands, as she pulled two small objects out of her belt pouches. She handed one to Doug.

"It's a fossilized tooth from a young Mythosaur. Mom told me she remembers her dead friends every morning, and that she has souvenirs from a few of them to remind her of the last battle they were in." Boudica said. Doug took one and stuffed it into a belt pouch.

"We will make it out of here. I won't let them get either of us." Doug said, as they squeezed each other's hands. They shared one last moment of affection, as they went to their respective hallways on either side of the entrance. Boudica had the halberd, Doug the pike, so both pointed the business end of their weapons towards the entrance. If they could manage to severely wound the two remaining beasts before even going into melee, then they would get the advantage.

Settling down in wait, their helmet sensors blipped as the two beasts neared the central keep. The two Mandalorians waited patiently, listening to the growls and snarls from outside. The beast continued walking on all fours up towards the keep. Their snarls became louder, and more violent as they smelled the two Mandalorians. The beasts raged, kicking up dirt as they charged inside.

"Now!" Both Mandalorians yelled, holding up their respective pole arms. The beasts came in, one losing its front paws to the halberd, and the other jumping over it's comrade unscathed. The Mandalorians lost control of their pole arms, which were held down by the massive weight of the beasts.

The wounded beast stood on it's hind legs, rearing up over Boudica, who backed away down her hallway. It ran at her. The other beast reared it's teeth and fierce gaze, salivating as it leapt towards Doug.

***

"There it is." Arminius said, as he flew towards the Templar castle. Athena was holding Darius in her lap, as Arvernus and Tamesis Sirona looked on towards the central keep. They spotted what looked to be a dead hell wolf in the Mythosaur graveyard.

"Good god." Arvernus said, his fear for the loss of Boudica now intensified. Arminius landed the craft inside the castle walls. Exiting the ship, all five heard the snarls of several other hell wolves. They ran inside the keep.

***

Boudica had lost the axe and her short sword, but had managed to hold onto the ancient Templar long sword. She staggered backwards, falling on her back as the beast leaped at her. Her reflexes were quick, and she pulled up the sword, the beast falling and impaling itself on it. The beast howled in pain, as Boudica lay helpless underneath it's corpse.

Doug backtracked through the hallway, jumping out of the way quick enough as the beast leaped and smashed into the corner. It turned quickly and snarled at Doug, who backed away into an open courtyard. The beast followed, and was met with a dirk in the shoulder, as Doug threw it. The beast howled in pain, but only became more angry. The boy wasn't quick enough, and was taken down by the beast. The beast snapped it's jaws and tried to bite Doug, who held the beast off by grasping it by the throat. The Mandalorian activated his retractable gauntlet vibroshiv, the blade inserting into the beast's throat. The beast whelped as Doug cut horizontally, slashing it's throat. Doug got back on his toes, and as the beast moved to stand on it's hind legs, Doug smashed it's head in with his mace. The beast bucked and whipped it's head back to bite away at the boy's stomach, but Doug flogged it's head again with the mace. The beast cried in pain and went down, a resounding cracking and crunching emanating from it's skull. Doug hit it again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again…

Arvernus and Tamesis quickly located Boudica, as they pulled the corpse of the beast off of her. They pulled her up and held her in their arms, checking for scratches or bites.

"I'm ok, really." She said, but her parents held her tight anyway. Arminius, Athena, and Darius meanwhile went down the opposite hallway. Turning the corner, they went down the hallway further until they found a dead hell wolf, it's skull bloodied and mangled into a pulp. Sitting on an old stone bench nearby was their little _Doug'ika_, his black armour and mace soaked in blood. His helmet and armour was heavily scratched, but it's Mandalorian iron composition hand done it's job and protected the Mandalorian. Arminius and Athena ran over to Doug to make sure he was ok. Darius stood back, crossing his arms in defiance and resentment of their parent's attention on his brother.

***

Arminius dropped the Sironas off back at their speeder. Doug and Boudica stared off after each other, knowing that was probably the last time they would ever see each other again. The Sironas got their land speeder and drove off, while the Argyles flew away in their shuttle.

The trip home was quiet. Arminius and Athena's concern for their son was replaced with anger, but also mixed with pride. They were all warriours, after all, and Doug had proved his worth against real opponents. He was a warriour, even before the official adult age of 13. His naivety was gone, but at heart he was still innocent. More battles in the future awaited him, and those would be what would change him into a man.

They arrived back home late in the evening. Athena and Darius went inside, followed by Doug. Arminius, stepping out of the starship, called out to his son.

"Doug. Let's talk." Arminius said. The boy stopped and turned around. Arminius noted the hardness in the boy's face, the coldness in his features, and the grimace he now carried. The events of the day had inevitably changed the boy. The two walked over to the large rock, where Arminius and Athena before him, had taught them about the Mandalorian way of life. They sat down and looked off into the sky. Their farming yaks snoring could be heard from the barn.

"What you did today was downright stupid. Don't ever run off alone again." Arminius began.

"But I was with Boudica!" Doug protested.

"I don't give a damn if you were with Mandalore himself. Just because I've taught you how to fight doesn't mean you can go off gallivanting and getting lost. Mandalorians are not the only fighters on this planet. As you learned today, Mandalore's nature is just as dangerous." Arminius said. Doug said nothing for a few moments, before murmuring:

"I'm sorry _buir_."

"I know. But what you did today was also very courageous. You took your training and your wits to heart, and survived."

"What were those things anyway?"

"Hell wolves, local breed. They have hives somewhere. The protectors have had a hell of a time finding them though." Arminius said. Doug nodded, and spoke.

"I…really like her." Doug said.

"Do you remember the _Resol'nare_, Doug?"

"Wear the armour, speak Mando'a, defend the family, raise children, aid the clan, and fight for Mandalore." Doug replied.

"Good. When your older, you may see to courting this girl, but for now, your not allowed to see her."

"But-"

"NO. Get to bed. I'm going to continue yours and Darius' training tomorrow. If you argue with me again, I'll make you clean the _oshokita_."

"Yes _buir_." Doug said, standing up and walking inside. Arminius took in the night air, and after a few moments, left to head back inside. Another day of work and training awaited.


	10. Verd'goten

**3,968**

_Verd'goten_

- Coming of Age

The jungle sat still, the humid mist floating above and below the canopy. Toucans, deeper in the jungle, made cries and shrieks that emanated outwards. Humongous caterpillars and centipedes crawled about, up trees, across branches, burrowing in the dirt. It was a peaceful, serene scene.

An explosion ripped through the area, sending smoke, trees, and debris flying. The roars of hell wolves took form as the beasts scurried off in terror. A lone hell wolf that had been wounded was prone, pulling itself along by it's arms, it's legs having been blown apart by the explosion.

Rising over it was a Mandalore warriour, in black and red armour, wielding a grenade launcher and an assault rifle. The warriour walked into the scene, scanning the area. Noticing the wounded hell wolf, the warriour walked forward, stomping down on it's neck, killing it. Dropping a used grenade shell out of the launcher, the warriour reloaded it. Using his helmets sensors, the warriour locked onto the hell wolf cave and fired his last grenade into the cave. Another loud, fiery explosion roared through the jungle, sending a shockwave that leveled nearby vegetation. Toucans and other birds squawked and fled, as the Mandalorian dropped his grenade launcher and replaced it with a Mythosaur hand axe. Aiming with his rifle, the Mandalorian zoomed in on specific hell wolves, picking off three. They were quick, and had already flanked him. One charged him from the right, but was decapitated as the Mandalorian cut through it's neck with his axe. Another charged from the left, but with his other hand he fired his rifle, shooting off it's jaw and blasting it in the eye. It landed and fell dead at the Mandalorian's feet. From behind three more hell wolves charged, but the Mandalorian quickly dispatched them with his gauntlet flamethrower. They rolled around for a few moments, before finally dying in agony.

The Mandalorian slung his rifle over his shoulder, replacing it with his dagger. He ventured forward through the smoking debris, arriving at the hell wolf cave. It wasn't too large, but it managed to house twenty beasts and the mother wolf. The latter of which survived and jumped at the Mandalorian from his left. However, his sensors alerted him to it, and he rolled forward into the cave, out of the way of the attack. He stood up and turned to face the mother, who snarled and charged again. Ready this time, the boy held his dagger hand back, his axe forward as the mother wolf lunged. The boy took two steps forward, catching the mother by the throat with his dagger, and slicing through her belly with his axe. The mother howled in pain, as the Mandalorian slung the mother to the ground. Putting his dagger and axe away, he pulled out his pistol and shot the mother several times in the head for good measure. The Mandalorian, satisfied with the hunt, turned and walked out of the cave.

"A fine job son." An older Mandalorian said, leaning against the exterior cave wall. Douglas Fett, just exiting the cave, whipped around and aimed his pistol. He holstered it though when he saw who it was.

"Thanks _buir_." Doug said. The two walked together out of the jungle, the same one Doug and his childhood friend Boudica had ventured through nine years earlier.

"That was the hell wolf hive that's been terrorizing this area." Doug said, as Doug and Arminius entered a savannah, where Arminius' G-wing shuttle sat waiting.

"Indeed it was. You did an excellent job in finding it. The lairs of those beasts are not easy to locate." Arminius said.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" Doug asked.

"Darius and Titus trained together at the Aswan Dam on the _Aswan_River, where some native wildlife was threatening construction. They're still there fighting beasts and helping in the construction. Your mother and I missed you. You've been gone a month. We hired some folks from town to help on the farm." Arminius said, as they reached the G-wing shuttle. As he was about to get in, he noticed Doug's demeanor change, as subtle as it was. He knew his son well enough to know when something was on his mind, even if he did conceal his face behind a helmet.

"What's wrong Doug?" Arminius asked.

"The time is approaching for the warriour trials, _buir_. I'm afraid about the future, that I won't be able to handle it." Doug said. He was a teenager, thirteen years old now, and thought a lot about the Neo-Crusaders on Dxun.

"You have your training Doug. You'll have your clan leaders, like Cassus, to guide you."

"No, not that. I…I'm afraid I won't be prepared for fighting a real battle." Doug said. His father went over to him and looked through his son's T-visor.

"All warriours have fear before their first combat, no matter who it's against. You survived your first fight against the hell wolves, and conquered your fear by destroying them. You are a Mandalorian Warriour, and I have taught you everything I know."

"Except for one thing." Doug replied.

"What's that?"

"My training will kick in as I go into battle, but I need to know what it feels like. To be shot."

"Why do you want to know that?"

"How will I know what do on the battlefield when it happens? I need to know now, before I'm lying vulnerable on the ground to my enemies." Doug said. Arminius looked stunned for a few moments, then smiled proudly.

"You've got some guts, _Doug'ika_. But don't tell your mother or brother we're doing this, ok?" Arminius said. Doug nodded.

They both went into range, as Arminius pulled out a blaster pistol, and recalibrated it to the lowest power setting. Aiming for the boy's chest, he fired off a single shot. The blaster bolt slugged into the boy's armour, throwing him back a few feet. After a few moments the boy stood back up, shaky. Regaining his composure, they boy dug his boots into the ground, readying himself for another shot. Arminius recalibrated the weapon to full power, and fired. Doug flew 20 feet, smoke rising off his armour. The boy staggered back up a few minutes later, and took another shot. And another. And another. And another…

All together, Doug was shot 73 times by Arminius, who switched in-between his pistol and rifle. By the end of the day when they had returned home, Doug was welted and bruised, but not dead. Mandalorian iron, after all, was resistant to blaster fire. It all prepared him though for the warriour trial in the next few days, and eventually in joining the Neo-Crusaders.

Arminius and Athena took Doug and Darius to town, where a shuttle was docked to pick up young Mandalorians. This was no ordinary trip the shuttle was going on; it was picking up youngsters to take them into the Mandalorian warriour trial, the _Verd'goten_. By passing it, the children would officially be adults, and recruited to Mandalore the Ultimate's army on Dxun.*

A Mandalorian sergeant in full regalia was standing on the loading bay of a shuttle, admitting various Human, Taung, Nikto, and other species of Mandalorians inside, their parents waving them goodbye. Arminius and Athena led their boys over, as the sergeant greeted them.

"What do we have here? Two young Mandalorians looking to serve _Te Ani'la Mand'alor_?"

"Yes sir." Doug and Darius replied.

"Don't 'sir' me. Just call me Ralon. I'm here to take young Mandalorians like yourselves to the first stage of the _Verd'goten_. You boys have everything you need?"

"Yup."

"Good. Take your seats inside when you're ready. We're leaving in 30 minutes." Ralon said. The two boys turned to their parents, as all four took off their helmets. This was the moment all of them had dreaded, when they knew they wouldn't be able to see each other again. Arminius held back displaying any emotions, keeping his stern composure.

"Well. You two be nice to each other now. Bring honour to the Fett name." Was all Arminius said, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm proud of both of you. I love you two so much." Athena said, hugging them. Arminius still held back affection, and Doug and Darius noticed this. The boys exchanged 'I love you's with Athena, and boarded the shuttle. Still Arminius said nothing, only crossing his arms over his chest. Darius sat down and began talking with a Taung, as Doug sat alone. He wondered if that was his Dad's final lesson: emotional detachment.

**Outer Rim - Mandalorian Space**

A Mandalorian shuttle dropped out of hyperspace, reaching it's destination: The Mandalorian Capital Ship, _Cuyan_, in orbit over the planet Shogun. The shuttle docked in the hangar bay.

Darius and Doug, along with the other young Mandalorians onboard, exited the ship. They found more shuttles bringing in other young Mandalorians like themselves, who were being led away into another hangar. Ralon exited behind them.

"Come on guys, it's about to start." Ralon said, leading them into an adjacent hangar. To Doug, everything seemed so big. Even the hangar seemed 100 feet tall.

They followed Ralon into the hangar, where there were about 5,000 other young Mandalorians like themselves. Doug and Darius sat down, but not before Doug caught a glimpse of a girl with long brown hair. The girl turned to talk to her friend, and Doug saw that it wasn't his childhood friend Boudica. Doug sat down and waited patiently for whatever was to begin. The adult Mandalorians, in blue, red, and yellow armour stood around at full attention, completely silent. They stood in perfect, orderly lines, and did not speak; they embodied obedience.

Several minutes later, the blast doors to the hangar opened, and a lone figure walked out. He sized up the group of 5,000 Mandalorian children, and after a few moments finally spoke.

"Greetings. I am Mandalore, leader of the Mandalorians. I have decided to oversee the training of this new army." Mandalore said. Silence followed, as Mandalore looked about the room for a few more moments. For a second, Doug thought Mandalore looked right at him. In fact, it seemed like their gazes (behind their visors) had locked for several moments. Doug hid his wonder behind his visor, but his mind raced with questions.

_What does it mean? Is he choosing me? Choosing me for what? To be the next Mandalore?_

Doug shook his head, putting the ridiculous thoughts away. Regardless, something about that moment lingered in the back of Doug's mind for a long time. Mandalore spoke up.

"You look like a fine group of _Mando'ade_. I wish you all well in the ensuing tests. Good day." Mandalore said, exiting back through the blast doors. A Neo-Crusader in yellow armour came forward.

"That was our leader. You will all follow him to your deaths if you have to. But that's only if you don't die today. We are circling the planet Shogun. As there are 5,000 of you, there are 5,000 Basilisk War Droids on it's surface. You will perform H.A.L.O jumps, find a Basilisk for yourself, and head to the nearby planet Keirut, where one of the leaders of Clan Ordo will lead you in an attack on the planet. Afterwards, you will return here, board the shuttles again and head for Dxun. It's easier said than done. Shogun is a harsh, and desolate world. Some of you may remain on the planet indefinitely. But if you are a true Mandalorian warriour, then you will survive the perils of the planet below, and live to serve Mandalore. Any questions?" The Mandalorian asked. The 5,000 had none.

"Good. Head to a shuttle. You will each be given a parachute. You will be instructed on how to use them and how to perform a H.A.L.O jump. _Oya Manda_!"

Doug patted his jetpack, and wondered how a parachute would fit over it, and how much the armour would weigh him down. But he shook the thoughts out of his head, as he walked with Darius to a shuttle. As he boarded, he spotted another brown haired girl at a different shuttle, and passed it off as another look alike. He did a double take, though, and realized it was her – it was Boudica! She turned and spotted him too, as they continued staring at each other for a few moments. They got yelled at by the pilots though, and were forced to go in. That was the last time they would see each other for a long, long time.

Doug took a seat opposite Darius in the shuttle, and pulled out the Mythosaur tooth Boudica had given him. He thought about his dad's unorthodox last lesson, and wondered what specifically it might have meant. Detachment from people, or detachment in battle allowing for ruthless efficiency? Doug shook the thoughts out of his head as he noticed he and Darius' cousin Titus Fett walk onboard. Titus sat next to Darius. The two conversed, as Doug looked on. The ship took off a few moments later, and a Neo-Crusader gave them the rundown on parachutes and H.A.L.O jumps. Like surviving Shogun, Doug surmised that even the H.A.L.O jump was meant as a way to weed out weaker Mandalorians. Regardless, they flew around the planet's atmosphere for 30 minutes or so to breathe out the nitrogen in their system.

Doug and the other Mandalorians onboard went quiet, as they got in line for the jump. They were in Shogun's atmosphere, about 29,000 feet up from the surface. The loading ramp opened up in the rear of the shuttle, and cold, harsh winds whipped at the young Mandalorians. Titus, always the daredevil, was first in line. The Neo-Crusader who taught them earlier stood by the open loading ramp, waiting for confirmation by the pilots when the kids were good to go.

"GO!" The Neo-Crusader yelled over the winds. Titus ran off the ramp, and jumped out, free-falling towards the planet below. Darius went next, followed by Doug. Other Mandalorians followed, as they free-fell through the atmosphere. Off in the distance were even more shuttles, dropping off many more young Mandalorians into Shogun's skies.

As per instruction, Doug switched to his helmet's rebreather for oxygen, as a substitute for the lack there of at 27,000 feet. Across the planet, Mandalorians opened their parachutes, and began their descent on the crystalline ice world…

**Shogun**

Freezing cold winds shot at the young Mandalorians, but their armour and under suit protected them as they fell. Doug passed through a cloud, and maneuvered past another Mandalorian as he spotted a large, frozen lake below.

The Mandalorians dropped at an incredible speed, and Doug did his best to fly away from the lake below. The surface kept getting closer and closer, and no matter what he did, Doug couldn't budge from his path leading down towards the ice lake. The high winds forced him downwards on a crash course for the lake below. Doug panicked for a moment, realizing that if the impact didn't kill him, the water would. At the right altitude, he pulled a wire, and the parachute flew out from his pack. He descended further.

The ground got closer, and Doug decided to bail out – the winds seemed to disfavor him that day, as they continued pushing him towards the lake. Freeing himself from the parachute wires, Doug free fell, igniting his jetpack 30 feet above the lake, flying towards the snowy shore nearby. He landed in a puddle, the jetpack having melted snow beneath him. It was so cold, that the puddle began to freeze up, and Doug quickly jumped out, lest he be caught in it. His helmet already had icicles, but Doug knocked them aside.

Doug trudged through the snow, observing an odd looking bush. It turned out to be a crystal bush, and they dotted the landscape for miles. Doug continued walking through the blizzard, when his helmets sensors alerted him to a free falling target. Doug turned around to see another Mandalorian, falling towards the lake below. Doug tried yelling, but the winds muted his voice. With his arms, he tried motioning to his comrade to land away from the lake, but to no avail. The Mandalorian couldn't move in time, and struck the ice lake. It cracked open, and as the Mandalorian struggled to get away, he fell in. Just as quickly as he had fell in, the hole froze back up. Doug gaped his jaw, stunned. That was the first time he'd seen a fellow Mandalorian, even one his own age, die. It wouldn't be the last.

Doug continued walking forward, shaking the image of his dead comrade from his head. It had left him shaken and distracted. He concentrated on the environment. The planet was barren and flat, not even a tree in sight, dotted only with crystal bushes. The winds continued waling, but Doug got use to it. He couldn't see any other Mandalorians through the blizzard. Not even his handy helmet sensors picked up life forms. For the first time, Doug felt alone. He let the feeling go, knowing that only the mission and his loyalty to Mandalore mattered.

Doug continued walking through the barren, snowy wasteland, when all of a sudden he lost his footing. He slipped and fell into what now he recognized as a chasm, grabbing onto a ledge he was just standing on. The fog was so thick it hid the giant crevasse he didn't see before. He pulled himself back up, and scanned the area with his helmet. The crevasse continued east and west for miles, and the distance across was vast, a good 70 feet. Doug breathed in and out, calming and preparing himself for what he had to do.

He walked back 40 feet, and when he was ready, ran forward. The snow crunched beneath him as he ran, and as he got to the end of the ledge, he jumped. He cleared 6 feet before falling, igniting his jetpack, darting across to the other side. However, Mandalorian jetpacks were only meant for short bursts, and after a burst would have to recharge, forcing the user to land. When Doug had 35 feet to go, his jetpack gave out, and Doug free fell down the chasm. Firing his gauntlet grappling hook, he continued falling, and spotted what looked to be mass crystalline structures at the bottom of the chasm. Just 10 feet from a spiky death, the grappling hook finally caught a hold of a crystal bush. Doug breathed sigh of relief, and began reeling himself up.

At 20 feet, Doug ignited his jetpack, flying up above the chasm over to the other side, dropping and rolling. The other side of the chasm didn't look much different from the other. A snowy, icy waste with no end in sight. Doug continued on, in search of a Basilisk War Droid.

After 5 minutes of trudging through the blizzard, Doug finally found something – a cave. With his helmet's sensors, Doug didn't pick up any life forms inside. He ventured inside. He learned from the trap at the chasm, however, and watched his step. Walking a few feet forward, Doug realized the ground was completely ice, devoid of even an inch of snow. Looking hard enough, Doug saw a spiral ice slide, descending further into the depths of the ice cave. He detected nothing with his sensors still, and placing his fists at his side, sizing up the situation, Doug jumped on the ice slide.

Doug slid down, spiraling downwards till finally the slide ended. Doug stood back up, looking forward. The cave continued onward, growing ever darker. His helmet's night vision found nothing to illuminate. Doug stood contemplating, weary of what lay beyond. Working up his courage, Doug equipped his dagger and Mythosaur hand axe, and feeling brave, walked forward into the darkness.

Doug walked slowly, his stance ready for anything. The whole cave screamed 'trap.' Doug kept his night vision on, and it finally paid off. He ducked and rolled, as an arm from the shadows swiped at him. Doug quickly stood back up, and his attacker revealed itself in the light – a wampa, native to many ice planets.

The wampa rampaged forward, arms swinging at the Mandalorian. Doug swung his weapons in his hand, and as the wampa swiped again, Doug dodged, slicing it's forearm off with the axe and slashing it's throat with the dagger. The wampa roared, swiping at Doug with it's good arm. Doug took a step back, but the wampa managed to connect, sending Doug flying. Doug gritted his teeth, but he was ok; the helmet was doing it's job. Doug dropped his weapons, aiming instead with his gauntlet wrist-blaster. He fired, hitting the wampa in the shoulder, chest, and finally the head. It gave a final death groan, and collapsed, dead. Doug pulled himself back up, picking his weapons up with him. Doug continued on into the darkness. His sensors told him there was something up ahead, something big.

Doug continued walking through the dark ice cave, until he reached a wall. Doug stood stumped for a moment. His sensors told him whatever it was was right there, but yet it wasn't. Doug stood contemplating, and after a few moments kicked the ice wall in. It broke apart into a separate chamber, and Doug stepped inside.

It was a Basilisk War Droid. An original model, not one of the newer variants. Except for it being a droid, it looked quite similar in shape to the Lagartoz War Dragons. Doug looked at it in awe for a few moments before going over to it. It bucked, happy that a new rider was taking it for a ride. It poked out it's arm to let Doug climb on top of it. Doug climbed up and sat down, finding the pressurized suit and putting it on over his armour. Doug looked at the controls, and pressed a button. The droid unleashed two rail guns, and began firing, destroying another wall of the chamber. Doug pressed the button again and they went back in their housings. Taking to the controls, Doug rampaged the droid through the snow outside the cave. Testing the controls more, Doug eventually took it to flight, and within a few moments began heading for the rendezvous point in orbit over Keirut.

As Doug flew into space, he saw other Basilisks with Mandalorians riding on them, having survived Shogun and now embarking for Keirut. It was a sight to behold, several thousand Basilisks and their riders flying through space together. Doug enjoyed the moment, riding alongside fellow Mandalorians. It was then that he felt like part of a cause. He smiled jovially under his helmet as they reached Keirut space, where a lone Basilisk and it's rider floated patiently for the young Mandalorian.

The lone Mandalore warriour flew about, observing the many young Mandalorians assembled before him. The warriour finally spoke up.

"I am Canderous Ordo, of the Clan Ordo. I lead an entire sub-sect of my clan, due to great feats of honour I gained in battle at Althir. Like all of you, I once passed these trials, a long time ago. In those days, we fought real opponents over a thousand worlds. You won't hear about them anymore, thanks to the old Mandalore's Crusaders. The Krath are gone, so instead we attack the world of Keirut today. It's an industrial world, foolish enough to stand against us. They know we're coming, and have prepared their defenses against us. Use whatever means necessary. They have no chance, and are already forfeit. Show no mercy. _Oya Manda_!" Canderous said through his suit's comlink to the 5,000 or so Mandalorians before him. Canderous flew around in his Basilisk, and lead the charge on the planet.

**Keirut**

Several thousand Basilisks reigned down upon the planet like meteors. The young Mandalorians had always heard stories of their predecessors and their exploits with Basilisks, but now the stories were going to come alive. They unleashed a hellfire of destruction, the ensuing explosions annihilating villages, ripping up city blocks, exploding building after building. A nuclear reactor was blown up, causing a mushroom cloud that sent shockwaves for miles around, engulfing several hundred cities in it's wake. Anti-air batteries were blown up, causing the missiles inside to explode and kill thousands of civilians and soldiers nearby. City centers were destroyed, sending fiery debris into nearby structures, setting them ablaze.

Other Mandalorians took their Basilisks to the planet's surface, rampaging through city after city, busting through houses and ripping apart whoever they came across, picking off survivors with an overkill of rail guns, laser cannons, pulse-wave cannons, and shockwave rods.

Doug wiped out a whole city in the mountains, causing several cities within the foothills to be consumed by the ensuing avalanche of debris. The explosions were so violent they caused the dormant volcano to erupt, drowning nearby cities in lava, and spewing an ash cloud so large it covered the world in darkness for 12 years.

The whole massacre lasted only an hour. These was nothing left to salvage afterwards. Billions died, the planet's surface annihilated, devoid of life. The young Mandalorians, after dropping their Basilisks off on the Capital Ship _Cuyan_, went onboard shuttles en route for the Mandalorian HQ, Dxun. Those that survived Shogun and took part in the assault on Keirut had passed. They were all adults now, and in the ensuing years they would become full Neo-Crusader warriours, serving under _Te Ani'la Mand'alor._

Doug sat in a shuttle alongside other Mandalorians, as it jumped into hyperspace towards Dxun. He had time to reflect, and saw that Arminius' training had come full circle. He was a warriour now, and proved his worth in battle. He thought of his teachings, and the Mandalorian philosophy: that of change versus stagnation, war versus peace, _Kad Ha'rangir_ versus _Arasuum_. There was a war coming, that much was true. The Mandalorian war machine and it's actions embodied the philosophy: fight or die. By serving _Te Ani'la Mand'alor_ and destroying his enemies, the Mandalorians were ensuring their own survival, destroying lesser peoples, gaining great honour in battle, and by fighting, they warded off the over imposing taboo of being associated with the sloth god _Arasuum_.

Doug looked out the ship's view port, the stars flying by as they traveled through hyperspace. He was bored already just sitting. He craved another battle, where ever there were foes of Mandalore, Doug relished the opportunity to fight, destroy…and conquer.

**DOUGLAS FETT MISSION PORTION: COMPLETE**


	11. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

When the new recruits from Mandalore got to Dxun, they chose what profession to serve in the Mandalorian army. Many chose infantry, or became Basilisk pilots. Others took non-combatant roles, such as personnel aboard starships, artillery engineers, factory workers, miners, or even became farmers.

Douglas Fett and his brother Darius joined the Legionnaires, a special branch of the Mandalorian army designed for covert operations. Relations between the brothers would continue to deteriorate, eventually resulting in open bloodshed. One brother would die…the other, and his progeny, would carry the Fett name into infamy.

Titus Fett became an advanced scout. His continued interest in such work later led to him becoming a spy for Ettin's Pauldron, the Mandalorian Intelligence division established under Douglas Fett's reign (3,941-current).

Boudica Sirona, after the end of the Mandalorian Wars, returned home to Mandalore, and true to her name sake and armour, became an oracle, in association with the Mandalore Templars. She never forgot the boy, and later the man she once fought alongside of. Her parents, Arvernus and Tamesis, continued living on Mandalore, adopting more orphans into their family.

Athena Argyle died of cancer a year after the Mandalorian Wars ended. Arminius was heartbroken over her loss, and returned to his home world of Dal Raida. He lived out the rest of his years on his family lands within Caledonia, joining local freedom fighters against the Imperial Forces of the Kingdom of Anglia. He died in battle, a warriours death.

Sucellos Argyle continued working in Mandalorian breweries. He was killed in the destruction of Malachor V.

Mandalore the Ultimate's preparation for war finally got off the ground, when he launched an attack on the Republic through three invasions corridors. The first battles of the war occurred at Onderon and Dxun, 3,963 B.B.Y.


End file.
